Valve for sterilizers.



PATENTED NOV. 19, 1907.

"E NU R s PETERS CO., HSNIv'TUN, D. C.

s BINGHAM VALVE 'POR STERILIZERS. APPLICATION ILED .TUNE 7, 190B.

umrnn srArEs SAMUEL BINGHAM, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

VALVE FOR STERILIZERS.

No. 871,666.l

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 19, 1907.

Application filed .Tune 7| 1906. Serial No. 320.592.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itl knownthat I, SAMUEL BINGHAM, a citizen `of the United States, residing at Rochester,` in the county of Monroe and State of `New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valves `for Sterilizers; and I do declare the following to be'l a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the artv to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in sterilizers for the use of hysicians in sterilizing linstruments and ressings, and more particularly to a valve for sterilizers of this character and for other uses.

The robject of the invention is to provide a device of this character which will be simple, strong and durable in construction, and well adapted for the purpose intended.

With the above and other objects iu view,

the invention consists oi" certain novel l'eatures of` construction, combination and ar rangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings,-Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a sterilizer, showing the application ot' my improved valve thereto; Fig. 2 is a front view of the valve and a portion of the sterilizer; Fig. 3 is a rear or-inner view of the valve; Fig. 4 is asectional view through the valve, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the shaft or rotary7 stem ofthe valve.

Referring to the drawings by numeral, 1 denotes my improved valve which is shown in Fig. l as mounted in the outer and inner walls 2, 3 of a sterilizer of the form' commonly used by physicians for sterilizing instruments and dressings. As shown, this sterilizer consists of an outer vessel or recep? tacle adapted to contain boiling water, the steam from which circulates around an inner vessel or receptacle which is sup orted within the outer one and spaced t erefrom, a cover being provided upon the top of the inner rece tacle, in which latter the articles' to be steri ized are placed.

By means of my improved valve 1, steam within the `space between the two receptacles 2,13 may be either allowed to escape to the atmosphere and simultaneously cut oil' from the inner receptacle, or admitted into the latter and prevented from escaping to the atmosphere.

Myimproved valve comprises outer and inner valve plates or disks 4, 5 connected by a rotary shaft or stem 6 and mounted in seats 7, 8, which latter are provided, respectively, in the outer wall 2 and the inner wall 3. Each of these seats is in the form of a circular plate formed with a shoulder and a flange around its periphery and with a circular depression 9, in which depression the valve is seated and rotates. 'Ihe valves' 4, 5 are slightly dished or of concave-convex form so as to snugly lit the valve seats with their peripheries abutting against said shoulders, and in their centers are formed square openings to engage the square reduced ends of the shaft or stem 6. The valve disks are thus caused to rotate with the stem and are retained upon these square ends by screws 10, 11, as clearly shown in F ig. 4; The screw 10 also passes through a hand lever 12 provided upon the outer valve disk 4 and further secured thereto by a rivet or the like 13. Upon said lever is a knob or linger piece 14, by meansl of which said lever and hence the two valve disks may be rotated or oseillated.

A headed in 15 projecting from the valve seat 7 and t rough a slet 16 formed in the valve disk 4 limits the rotation of the latter, so that apertures or openings 17 formed in it at suitable points may be moved into and out of alinement with similarly arranged apertures or openings 18 formed in. the depressed portion of the valve seat 7. Similar, but larger, Vopenings 19 are formed in the inner valve disk 5, and they are also adapted to be moved into and out of alinement or register with similarly arranv'ed apertures or openings 20 formed in the depressed portion oi the inner valve seat 8. The arrangement of these openings in the valves and their seats is such that when the knob or finger ieee 14 is swung to the left ofthe vertical p ane of its pivot, the apertures in the valve 5 will register with the apertures in the -valve seat 8 and thereby admit steam from the outer receptacle 2 into the inner receptacle 3 and at the same time the valve 4 will close the apertures in its valve seat so as to prevent the escape of steam to the atmosphere, and that when the knob 14 is swung 1n the op osite direction as far as the stop pin will allow it, the apertures in the valve 4 will be made to register with the apertures in its seat 7, so as to allow the steam within the outer receptacle to escape to the atmosphere, and the valve 5 will close the apertures in its seat so as to cut off the admission` of steam into the inner receptacle. When the knob 14 is moved to an intermediate position, both of the valves will close the apertures in their seats so as to effectively prevent the escape or loss of steam from the outer receptacle.

It will be noted that the valve is of simple, strong and durable construction, and is very effective for the purpose intended. Owing to the peculiar construction of the valves and their seats, and by arranging the seats to face in opposite directions, or away from each other, whereby the valves will be drawn toward each other and be' thereby more firmly seated when secured u on 'the stem, it will be seen that longitudina movement of the stem cannot occur and that all loss of the'steam will be prevented and its escape from the rece tacle 2 also revented except when the va ve is propery set to effect the desired result.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction,v operation and advantages of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

While I have shown and described my improved valve as mounted in' a sterilizer, it will be understood that it may be adapted for other uses.` Y

It will also be understood that various changes in the form, proportion and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the prinvciple or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention, as defined by the appended claims. y

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is A sterilizer comprising a boiler and an inner vessel having their walls provided with oppositely facing, perforated valve seats, one of said seats being provided with a pin,

.a perfora-ted valve on each seat having an angular aperture at its center and one of them provided with a slot through which said pin projects, a stem through said seats, the ends of which are angular and fit inthe angular apertures of said valves, screws in the ends of said stem for holding said valves toward each other upon said oppositely facing seats, and a handle secured to 'thev outer valve, whereby the valves may be rotated to cause the perforations of one of them and its seat to register when the pin vstands at one end of the slot and the perforations of the other valve and its seat to register when the pin stands at the other end and all of said perforatio'ns to be out of register when the pin stands intermediate the ends of said slot.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- IIBSSQS.

SAMUEL BINGHAM.

Witnesses:

SAML. B. RAY, WM. WALDERT. 

